As a child, I used to play all sorts of make-believe games. One day I’d be a teacher; my stuffed animals were my students. Another day I’d play store, creating a boutique in my basement. In my loftier moments, I’d pretend to be in the aviation world and make pretend I was on the radio, [...]
In America we’re Republicans and Democrats, but across cultures and throughout history there have been two main opposite forces in human political society: liberals and conservatives. Interestingly, there are meaningful differences in the brain structure of liberals and conservatives (though it’s not yet clear whether the mindset builds the brain or vice versa). For a [...]
Mindfulness is often mistaken to be simply thought-observing, as in literally observing one’s thoughts. On the contrary, it entails at least a dozen practices for different types of people and purposes. Whichever practice we use, mindfulness is an awareness of our present-moment experience (mentally, emotionally, and physically) with the quality of curiosity, acceptance, and conscious [...]
Just what is the relationship between consciousness and reality? If Zen is accurate, it would explain human mystification about what, who and why we are. Our dualistic approach (me vs. everything else) generates bewilderment. Could the key to the magic of existence be as simple as recognizing that there is no separation between us and [...]
We get wildfires in Los Angeles. The malicious glow in the night as the wind whips flames hundreds of feet i the air. The ash and pieces of partially burned bark falling from the smoke plume too close to my house and car. We pack evacuation kits. The community effort to rally around those displaced [...]
It feels like 100 years ago. I was probably about 15 years old, enjoying that early teen girl hormone rush, when a guy could be considered cute no matter how bad his sneakers smelled. It was a time when, if a boy dressed in 3 distinct madras plaids and word a live salamander on his [...]
I find myself in plenty of airport and on plenty of planes. And so it was that I was chatting with a seat mate the other day about America’s favorite topic du jour…politics. The flight was completely full, about a half hour late, and we were 3 hours into a scheduled 4-hour flight. Apparently I [...]
We belong to our parents until we belong to ourselves. We eat their food, wear the clothes they drape around us and listen to the music that comes out of their sound systems. Their tastes are ours until we become our authentic selves. Then we push aside their world and crank up the volume on [...]
If you’ve had a relatively loving family background, remember the delight in just being a kid. No thoughts of comparisons; times of playing without thoughts of performing. There was an unconscious delight in just being you. If you’re family background was less-than-optimal, remember what you hopefully learned in school…listen, tell the truth, and be kind. [...]
This is about childhood, the notions of Sin, Love, God—and a brief comment on the all-male priesthood…send hate mail straight to my trash folder, please. I’ve given formal retreats and provided direction for older men and younger women, including a few priests. But I’ve never understood or made sense the notion that 6- or 7-year-old [...]